Pensioners under 31,092 dinars get 1,000 off power bill

Pensioners whose pension is 31,092.11 dinars (~265 EUR) or less will get their electricity bill cut by 1,000 dinars (~8.5 EUR) a month, for bills from October 2026 to March 2027. Last heating season, from October 2025 to March 2026, the cap was 27,711 dinars (~236 EUR). The difference is 3,381 dinars, or about 12%. All euro figures are converted at the National Bank of Serbia’s middle rate of 117.4109 dinars to the euro.

The legal basis is the Decree Amending the Decree on the Vulnerable Energy Customer, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 92/2026. Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic, the caretaker Minister of Mining and Energy, said in Becej that pensioners with a pension of up to 31,092 dinars will receive a 1,000 dinar discount on electricity bills from October to March, while keeping the regular 5% discount for paying on time.

After her visit to Becej, the minister wrote on Instagram: “I took the opportunity to inform them about the energy efficiency subsidy programs that are available.” She added: “Caring for the oldest is a matter of solidarity, humanity and responsibility.” It is an obligation, she said, to ensure security and support for those who invested their entire working lives in society.

Who qualifies and how is the status granted?

Pensioners do not need to apply. If the meter is in their name and their pension is 31,092.11 dinars or less, including exactly that amount, they receive vulnerable energy customer status automatically, through a procedure started by the local government. Data on beneficiaries in certain categories is submitted once a month, starting with the processing of October 2026 pensions. Decisions granting the status to households covered by the amendments are valid until March 31, 2027. The published information does not say when local governments will finish the procedure, so it is unclear when the first reduced bills will arrive.

The right applies to one metering point, not to every meter a pensioner has in their name.

Veterans, war and peacetime military invalids, civilian war invalids and recipients of family disability benefits under the veterans’ and disability protection rules follow a different route. They apply to their local government and attach their latest electricity bill, and the meter must be in their name.

What exactly changes on the bill?

• the reduction is 1,000 dinars a month, calculated including excise duty and VAT
• the regular 5% discount for paying on time stays
• the threshold between the blue and red zones for vulnerable customers stays at 1,600 kWh and is not lowered to 1,200 kWh during this period
• the earlier limits from the decree do not apply during this period, so the reduction on electricity and gas bills applies regardless of monthly consumption

Over the six bills from October to March, that comes to at most 6,000 dinars (~51 EUR) per metering point. The ministry estimates that pensioners with the lowest pensions and recipients of veterans’ and disability protection can save about 1,500 dinars (~12.8 EUR) a month during the heating season.

What applies to other vulnerable customers?

The general rules stay the same. Depending on household size, vulnerable energy customers get a reduction on set amounts of electricity throughout the year, on gas during the heating season, and on heat, amounting to 40 to 60% of the bill for each month. People who receive cash social assistance, child allowance or an attendance allowance for help and care from another person still apply to their local government, where they state whether they will take the reduction on electricity, gas or heating.

The decree also sets penalties. A responsible person in a local government who issues a decision contrary to the rules can be fined between 80,000 and 150,000 dinars, and a status holder who violates the regulation can be fined between 5,000 and 10,000 dinars.